Tv Cable Subscriberstry To Channel Anger

Their anger is aimed at cable TV companies, which they say make arbitrary decisions about what to broadcast while raising costs at four times the rate of inflation.

``They say, `If you don`t like what we give you, use rabbit ears.` They are more arrogant than any business I`ve ever seen,`` said Beril Kruger of Delray Beach.

Kruger is not taking what Leadership Cable is handing out any longer. He is leading a petition drive, demanding that the company reinstate three Miami stations lifted from Delray Beach dials on Jan. 1.

His fight is not unique.

In west and north Broward, viewers steam over poor reception.

``I can`t even get Channel 6 here,`` said Maury Stein of unincorporated west Broward. ``There is so much snow on my screen, it`s like watching through a blizzard.``

In south Broward, Storer cable ignited a fury by canceling Chicago superstation WGN.

``Without notice, they took something out of my life,`` said Marshall Cooper of Hollywood. ``They acted unilaterally and arbitrarily and they could (not) care less what Hollywood wants.``

South Palm Beach County residents say they feel as if they are handled by remote control when they complain to Leadership Cable about service.

``Sometimes it seems like nobody is happy with cable,`` said Cathy Grimes, who fields complaints in Dade County`s cable TV office.

Cable has been in South Florida since the early 1970s. Today, almost 73 percent of homes in Broward and South Palm Beach counties have cable, compared with a nationwide average of 53.8 percent.

At first, local governments had tough controls over rates and service. But they lost that power in 1984, when Congress deregulated the industry, saying it was not a monopoly.

``There is over-the-air service, VCRs, satellite dishes. We are not a monopoly,`` said John Wolfe, director of public information for the National Cable Television Association in Washington.

But in many parts of South Florida, dishes are not an option because of deed restrictions.

Cooper`s bills for Storer`s Hollywood Cablevision basic service have increased 108 percent since 1981. In Plantation, bills for basic Continental Cablevision of Broward service went up 15 percent between January and October 1988.

In 1987, when consumer prices rose less than 4 percent, the price of basic cable nationwide went up 16 percent, according to Forbes magazine.

With the increased rates, Storer has added programming and improved service, said Scott Norwood, general manager of Hollywood Cablevision.

``Customers are getting more today for their money,`` said Tom Walsh, vice president and district manager of Continental. ``We have better technology, added programming and better services.``

Walsh`s company, which serves 133,000 customers in seven cities and unincorporated areas of Broward, installed land wires to end reception problems during rainstorms. It also increased basic channels.

But residents are still unhappy. ``We can`t get (Channel) 6 or (Channel) 12. There is snow all over it,`` said one Plantation homeowner who asked to remain anonymous.

Most customers complain to City Hall, not realizing it has little control.

``I tell them the extent of power we have, which isn`t much,`` said Delray Beach Mayor Doak Campbell.

``I get complaints all the time,`` Pembroke Pines Mayor Charles Flanagan said. ``Rates go up, services go down, outages get worse all the time, and we can`t do anything.``

The county cable complaint offices in Dade and Broward are hopelessly outgunned.

Dade has two staffers and a secretary, while Broward has a part-time cable coordinator for the unincorporated areas who also is responsible for county phone bills. Both offices mediate disputes between companies and customers.

Palm Beach County has a cable office of five -- two more are scheduled to be hired later this year -- wielding a two-year-old law in the unincorporated area. The office, called a model of efficiency by other state cable coordinators, handles 30 cable problems daily.

JoAnn O`Hara, the Palm Beach cable coordinator, can fine operators who do not meet picture quality or phone service standards. But fines against outages kick only in after three days.

Neither Dade, Broward nor most of the cities has this power.

The major weapon in local government`s arsenal is the franchise agreement -- a contract allowing a cable company to serve an area.

The agreement can hold the cable company to service standards, excluding rates and programming.

Most cities, however, are tied into long-term agreements.

Delray Beach just signed a new 10-year contract with Leadership, which is playing hardball with customers who want their Miami stations back.

When told that Kruger gathered 500 signatures against Leadership in one afternoon and expects to gather 4,000 more, company sales manager Jack Lord said, ``Nothing has changed.``